cigna | Express Scripts: health connect 360 & The Native mobile app

These 2 case studies represent my most recent work. Both programs were delivered on time and have had enormous impact since their respective launches. Each presented unique challenges with regard to budget, resources, schedule, and support from leadership. Where others saw obstacles, I saw opportunities to implement a more efficient and inclusive UX design and test process. Since then, the Express Scripts mobile team’s design and development cadence has been so successful other teams now model it as they strive for Agile nirvana. With Health Connect 360, I was instrumental in bringing Agile and Design Thinking to the enterprise. This is no small task with any company, but doing so during a merger of two Fortune 50 health care giants seemed almost impossible when we began work in late 2018.

Some notable programs delivered at usaa, IBM design, and Dell

These are all products where I was the UX owner/lead. Additionally, I led UX efforts on Dell Latitude & Precision laptops, IBM’s Key Protect cloud encryption, and dozens of other projects along the way. My UX skill set has evolved over the last 18 years, and it’s fascinating to see the progression from early roles focused heavily on hardware usability and human factors, to later roles developing web and native mobile applications. Each new challenge has led to new learnings and a comprehensive understanding of all the factors that go into a successful product. Being able to effectively blend user-centered design with best-practice research methods, aligned with business goals, has led to great outcomes for the companies I’ve worked with and their users.

Delivering compelling user experiences, particularly in large organizations, is not easy. Constraints are everywhere - development resources, budgets, schedules, process bottlenecks, and misalignment between functional teams. Many large enterprises are also in the middle of their Cloud migration, or still building on legacy architectures that won’t scale to meet user performance needs. Moreover, many companies are still establishing their UX Design competencies. So how can we be effective across the enterprise while maintaining healthy growth and morale within our UX organization? Here are some things I’ve learned over the course of my career:

1. Internally, know your talent. Understand that when you hire creatives (designers) and intellectuals (researchers) they have a different mindset than a developer or product owner. Ensure your creatives have an outlet to create and propose new ideas. Nothing causes an exodus of designers like being boxed into a design system and palette, then being told to crank out work without any hope of actually creating something unique. To balance the needs of efficiency and cost (provided by the design system) with creativity, give designers time to innovate and expand their own creative process. Additionally, when working with UX researchers, remember that they will form a point-of-view on virtually everything. It’s what they’re trained to do. Take time to listen. They want and need to be heard. Silencing your researchers is a recipe for burnout. Keep them engaged.

2. The UX - Engineering relationship will dictate the success of the program. The relationship between Software Engineering and UX can often be contentious, but it doesn’t have to be. UX designers should work in lock step with their engineering counterparts. This can be achieved through a few simple steps:

   • First, hold a forum or workshop where UX and SE can meet face-to-face. Talk through each other’s constraints and resource concerns. In short, develop empathy as you share process details and discuss better ways to work together.

   • Next, while adhering to your organization’s delivery process, don’t hesitate to schedule small, tactical interlocks between SE and UX. A 30-min standing meeting 3 days before the end-of-sprint demo allows both teams to review WIP and also get ahead of any requirements that feed into planning for the next sprint.

   • Lastly, when iterating on the design make sure you communicate with development what drove the changes. This seems subtle, but most developers I’ve worked with are content with changes if they understand why they’re important. Arbitrary requirements and deadlines frustrate developers to no end, so be prepared to share context when needed. A great way to achieve this is through shared learning. Do everything you can to ensure developers are included in user research. If they see your users struggling with their solution first-hand, it changes their mindset immediately.

3. Demonstrate value at the first opportunity. This applies to all working relationships, but if your UX organization is building credibility there is no better way to accelerate this than having impact at the right time. I coach my team on this. You have to be constantly aware and ready for targets of opportunity. If the UX team can help improve measurable business KPIs through better design (informed by valid research) then you’ll have no issues with credibility. However, sometimes the ROI of UX is harder to define. In these situations, align with your product leaders to add value directly. They want any product they manage to gain adoption and acceptance, and be a great experience for users. UX wants the same things. Align around these common interests and help your product owners achieve results. Work together and you’ll always have a seat at the table when important product decisions are made.

4. Never put administration ahead of relationships. While process is important for realizing efficiencies, it works against the DNA of creatives. If you want to build and retain a strong UX team, make time to connect with your employees on topics unrelated to sprint work or “moving tickets” on your Kanban board. Learn what their aspirational goals are for their career or life outside of work. Discuss how you can help them realize their goals and be a partner in their development. At the same time, you can share your expectations of them and develop a work style that meets your goals and theirs.